What Made You Decide to Have Knee Replacement?
Was having difficulty walking more than 10 minutes, playing golf, etc. Tried Synvisc and therapy, but bone-on-bone is bone-on-bone. Figured if I wanted any quality of life (I'm 61), I needed to have it done.
Now have 0-120 degree range of motion, can play 36 holes of golf a day with little pain
What Were You Not Prepared For?
Every knee replacement surgery is different, and no two patients have the same outcome or same complaints. I had bilateral, full knee replacements done about 11 months ago, and still have some minor issues:
- still have minor pain in both knees, though not nearly as severe as before surgery
- have some residual tingling and numbness in both lower legs (just below the knee), due to nerves still not healing completely
- significant scar tissue on both knees, which sometimes make it difficult to achieve full range of motion (scar tissue doesn't stretch very well!)
- am fighting a perceived dependency on sleep medication (Ambien), since I can't seem to get to sleep without it (due to knee discomfort)
- knee stiffness when I first rise from sitting down. Goes away after walking about 30 seconds.
- diminished strength (by maybe 20%) in my quads and calves vs before surgery, in spite of significant PT
Lessons Learned
- Pick the best doctor you can find
- Do your PT religiously
- Don't expect that your knees will be perfect - just better
- Be patient and realize what you felt like before surgery
- Call your doctor if you are concerned about anything
- Keep your weight down
- Don't do stupid things (running or impact bearing things)
